Skeleton Blog Curved Graphene: The Future Of Batteries Without Critical Raw Materials

The material market for the battery industry is huge - we are talking about an industry worth of billions, which will grow even more when replacement materials for critical raw materials and rare earth metals are sought. Industrial OEM manufacturers, such as in the automotive industry, are very exposed to the instability of critical raw material prices, complex and long supply chains, which in turn significantly increase greenhouse emissions. The renewable energy industry will grow significantly by 2030 and that will mean a greater demand for innovative and more sustainable materials in order to reach Europe's common goals of reaching net zero by 2050 and to break the dependence on China's critical imports of raw materials. Today, more than 90% of rare and critical raw materials, including lithium, cobalt, and rare earths, are produced in Asia, with China holding the lion’s share. China controls almost all heavy rare earth elements, materials essential for future-focused industries.This dominance could pose a significant challenge for Europe, as dependence on non-European supply chains leaves critical industries like defence and aerospace vulnerable to disruption. Indeed, the energy storage sector is now key for the EU to achieve its climate goals, the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) and the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) not only reinforce this, but also define the regulatory framework to advance the goal in an agile and sustainable way, accelerating Europe's position as a global benchmark in the energy transition. In April 2021, the European Union adopted a Regulation commonly known as the European Climate Law. It writes into law the goal set out in the European Green Deal for Europe's economy to become climate neutral by 2050 and aims all European member states to archive net zero greenhouse gas emissions.